Television: Elementary, "Possibility Two"

Watson's training in the arts of deduction begins.

Name checking "The Musgrave Ritual," a wealthy philanthropist named Lydon tries to convince Holmes to take his case: he's convinced the fatal, hereditary disease he's suffering from—one of which his family has no history—has been somehow introduced into his system as a biological murder weapon. Since the first symptom is dementia, Holmes feels it's more likely there is no underhanded plot involved and turns the case down.

But when Lydon murders his driver, Holmes is prompted to investigate which geneticists in the world might be able to synthesize the disease. A scientist (Natasha) who texts Holmes to say the disease can be induced agrees to meet with Holmes and is then found stabbed to death.

The obvious suspects are Lydon's sons who stand to inherit quite the fortune. But the DNA at the stabbing scene matches a street thug with a history of stabbing. (My guess, going in? Anyone who can induce a rare disease can probably figure out how to plant blood DNA at a crime scene.)

Holmes sends Watson on various dry cleaning runs and taps the various worldwide geneticists for possibilities. Or really, he just needs one possibility: Possibility Two. Which turns out to be that a DNA match can be fabricated. And this one from the crime scene was fabricated by Natasha's fiancé, employee at a high-end pharmaceutical lab. But said fiancé has no idea what might be going on with Lydon. I guess he's smart but not that smart.

As it turns out, more than Lydon are being poisoned with this disease, all of them regulars from the society pages. Why? Because rich people who have a disease will give lots of money to fund research for cures for that disease.

Oh, and the dry cleaners get arrested.

A neat idea, but too slick in execution and too hastily wrapped up. And less fun interactions between Watson and Holmes this week. So I found this episode subpar on the whole, even though the core plot was unique.